7 Winter Diet Tips Nutritionists Swear By

Prevent unwanted padding this season with the diet tips experts rely on to save their own waistlines

It's never a big shocker. As the first blasts of cold air swoop in, your clothes lose some wiggle room and your pants require a bit more muscle-power to close. Blame the dryer all you want, but there's just something about Old Man Winter that makes us sluggish, constantly hungry (for all the wrong things), a little pudgier -- and in need of some diet tips that work.

Over the winter, most of us will gain anywhere from 1 to 5 pounds of weight, according to a study in "The New England Journal of Medicine." Instead of losing that bulk by bikini season (we know, you have the best intentions), research has found that winter weight tends to stick around for good and the pounds just keep piling up each year. Before you know it, those yummy muffins -- the ones you love to bake on snow days -- turn into an all-season muffin top. No one needs that kind of armor. With these diet tips, you can break the cycle of winter "expansion."

By the way, these are not just the usual diet tips. We pumped top nutritionists for the tricks they personally rely on to avoid packing on winter pounds. Get the inside scoop on how these peeps with degrees in healthy eating handle comfort-food cravings and feel full without getting too many calories. You'll want to pounce on these trade secrets. After all, you won't be able to hide beneath that puffy jacket for much longer.